Kate’s Dilemma (Kate's Case Files Book 3) Read online

  He cocked his head. “Why is that?”

  Kate’s gaze fell to the ground. “There is too much wrong with me.” She instantly regretted the words. What did Brian and Patrick have that caused her to confess things she didn’t want to? She didn’t want any questions—she didn’t want to have to explain.

  “There is also a lot right with you.” He placed his folded hands on the table and leaned forward. “Look, I don’t pretend to know what’s in your past. I won’t even try to guess. I can tell there is a lot of pain. Shutting out those who would be your friends is not the way to heal.”

  Kate stared at the table. He didn’t understand. No one could understand. She had to carry this alone and shield other people from it as best she could. She closed her eyes as the memories rushed in, trying to pull her under their power.

  “Take it from someone who has tried and failed,” Brian said, his voice gentle. “I grew up in the foster care system. I was shuffled place to place and thought it was easier to shut people out than it would be to have friends. While at one house, a family loved me enough that I finally accepted that God could love me and cared for me even when no one else had. I learned to share my pains and joys with them. They may not have been in my life long, but the impact they had in my life will last eternally. You see how damaged you are, but that is never how Christ views you, Kathrine. He sees you as you can be and what you will be.”

  Perhaps she had found someone who really did understand. She lifted her eyes to Brian. “Since you’ve been through some hard things, you understand it’s impossible to trust. You can’t share some of the things you went through because they hurt too much.”

  Brian leaned even closer. “I know it feels like that. I also know that isn’t true. It is a lie the devil feeds us. You can go through life trusting no one, but then you can never live in the community of believers as Christ intended. You’ll avoid the heartache, but also the joy. You can stuff that pain inside, but only by sharing the burden will it stop weighing you down. You get to healing by running through the pain, not away from it.”

  Kate chewed on her lip. He didn’t understand. None of them did. They wanted to tell her how to live. None of them understood what it was like to live with the memories that haunted her.

  “I said too much, didn’t I?”

  She said nothing but looked toward the door. She wished she could bolt and go for a run. She needed it.

  He sighed. “Look, I don’t want to make you miserable. As far as the assignment is concerned, don’t worry. We’ll be staying in separate rooms on different floors of the hotel, physical contact isn’t needed, and I can keep my mouth shut if needed.”

  She nodded and stood. “Thank you.” She turned and left; as soon as she was out into the hall she rubbed her hands over her face. She needed to get a tighter rein on her tongue. She returned to the office and sat down at her desk. She looked around. She would need to transfer after this case. These people wanted to get into her life and heart, places she had walled off to all outsiders since she was eighteen. She had no intention of changing that for Logan, Patrick, Kim, Brian, or anyone else.

  The Sister

  Wednesday, June 10 10:00AM

  Patrick had been the first of the team to arrive in Charleston. He had to be there to start the University of Charleston’s summer classes, but it felt odd to start the case off alone. He was taking a smattering of different classes, three of them with Billy Adams’s sister.

  Patrick set his backpack at his feet and looked around the room at the other students who had arrived early. Sharleen Adams, the sister of the deceased drug runner slash pirate, talked quietly with a young woman, Rachelle. He hadn’t seen them together outside of class, but they spent quite a bit of time talking before the professor started the lecture.

  Sharleen had milk-chocolate skin and a way of carrying herself that showed she was confident and knew she was attractive. She dressed to draw attention, talked loudly, and sprinkled all her conversations liberally with curses and crude inferences. Rachelle, on the other hand, was short and perky, and Patrick was pretty sure he had seen a Bible in her backpack. The two seemed like opposites. He hadn’t figured out the connection between the two, but he would.

  The professor entered, and the students turned their attention to the psychology class. As Sharleen Adams had declared her major in psychology, Patrick had been placed in two classes on the topic. Just to mix it up, Patrick had also enrolled in Roman history and chemistry.

  As he took notes and listened to the professor, Patrick was able to keep an eye on Sharleen from time to time. Toward the end of class, he saw her dig in her purse and pull out some tissues. When he was able to glance at her again, tears were streaming down her face. He swallowed back a smile. The last few days, he had been waiting for an opportunity like this. He needed an opening that wasn’t obvious. He just got it. As the professor dismissed the class, Sharleen darted out the door. Patrick followed. The girl was fast. He didn’t catch up to her until she reached the outdoors. He purposefully kept a little behind her as she dashed across Coming Street from the psychology department, past the Stern Student Center, and finally stopped when she reached a grassy area.

  She sat down on the grass outside of Randolph Hall. Cistern Yard, the place was called, was a gathering spot for students. Everyone on the grass on this hot day was too busy with their own work or friends to even notice Sharleen.

  “Are you okay?” Patrick asked, sitting beside her.

  The girl turned her watery brown eyes to him. “No, I’m not all right now, you—”

  Patrick winced as the girl spouted off a remark he wouldn’t repeat. He stood once again. “I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do. I’m sorry for bothering you.” He turned to go. There went the opening he thought he had. How was he going to get close to her? To learn if maybe she knew what her brother had been into? Maybe she was one of those people that was more irritable when they were crying, not vulnerable.

  “Look, it isn’t that I don’t appreciate it. I just don’t feel like talking,” the girl called after him.

  He turned slowly toward her and then shrugged. “I didn’t want to make you angry. I just didn’t want you to be alone. I know most people think it’s none of their business and pass by.”

  “My brother died two weeks ago in a car accident. Everyone says he was some sort of crook. The police caused his death by chasing him.” Her hands balled into fists, and she made some derogatory comments about the police.

  “That’s tough,” Patrick said, sitting down next to her once again. She was talking to him; that was a good sign. “I’m surprised you’re coming to class. I know if that had happened to my sister, I would have trouble keeping up with school.”

  Sharleen smiled and wiped at her eyes. “I got to finish my schooling. I can’t afford to do things over again. I’m thinking about becoming a lawyer. I want to be one of those ones that fight the injustice of the police. They’re so corrupted and full of bigotry they should all be thrown into their own prisons. The prisoners know more about justice than they do.”

  Patrick forced himself to remain outwardly interested and supportive as she went on a tirade against the police. The girl spouted all sorts of injustices, both in her city and in others, committed by the police. With colorful language, she swore she would get even with the officers who had chased her brother to his death.

  “Hey, who this?”

  Patrick looked up to see a tall African American man standing over them. He was covered with tattoos, his jaw clenched tight, and he glared down at Patrick.

  “He’s okay, Jasper. He saw me crying and wanted to see if I needed something.”

  Jasper said nothing, but Patrick knew he wasn’t happy with his presence. Patrick covertly scanned for bulges that might indicate Jasper was concealing a weapon. When he didn’t see any, he inwardly laughed at himself. This guy might not be friendly, but there was nothing to imply he was a threat to him.

  “See you a
round.” Sharleen stood and brushed away imaginary dirt from her jeans.

  Jasper wrapped a possessive arm around her and led her quickly away toward George Street.

  Patrick stood and stretched as if it didn’t matter to him at all. He looked toward Randolph Hall with its impressive pillars and many windows. It was the oldest college building still in use in the United States. It had survived the Civil War, an earthquake, and hurricanes.

  “You should be careful around Sharleen.”

  Patrick turned around. Rachelle stood there, her book bag over one arm and a water bottle in hand. Her tan capris and white shirt gave her a fresh and cool appearance on this hot day.

  “Oh?” He smiled as if it didn’t much matter, but he was ready to soak up every word.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Rachelle said, a hint of a Southern accent coming through in her voice. “She needs friends right now. I wanted to warn you that she seeks male attention to get her jealous boyfriend to defend her. Sharleen has boasted about all of the guys that have been hurt by Jasper. I saw one guy with a bloody nose and Sharleen said Jasper had punished him when he had caught him flirting with her. I’d like to think it was Sharleen making things up to look better. I think she was telling the truth. Since you’re new, I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

  Patrick smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Miss…”

  The girl’s face lit up with a smile. “Rachelle Ray.”

  Patrick stuck out his hand and shook her smaller one. “Patrick Evans.”

  “Are you new to Charleston?” Rachelle asked.

  Patrick nodded. “I am. I came here for some summer classes. I’m thinking about finishing my degree here. I’ve been going to a community college, and I would much rather be here. We’ll just see if the scholarship comes through.”

  “This is the most beautiful city in the world,” Rachelle said. “I hope you’re able to come. Do you have another class today?”

  Patrick looked down at his watch. “Yeah, I have a history class that will start soon.”

  “Good thing the social studies building isn’t too far from Randolph Hall. I’m headed to the department of communications. I guess I’ll see you in psychology?”

  “See you there.” Patrick turned his steps in the correct direction. Rachelle was nice and gave him a lot to think about. So, Sharleen’s boyfriend was the jealous type who hung around on campus but didn’t seem to be enrolled. He was overly defensive of his girl. He had even hurt people because he thought they were flirting with her.

  What did he do while Sharleen was in class? Could it be that he had been involved with Sharleen’s brother’s business? College students, statistically, bought a lot of drugs. Patrick looked around the picturesque campus. It was hard to believe a place like this could harbor drug users. Sadly, crimes weren’t just a problem in the bad areas of town. Beautiful places like this could hide a lot of dark secrets.

  Arrival

  Wednesday, June 10 1:00PM

  As the rental car sped across the bridge, Kate looked down at the city of Charleston. She instantly loved it. There was something about the steeples instead of high-rise buildings that appealed to her. Sitting on a peninsula of land between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, the city had an idyllic setting.

  “That’s Fort Sumter,” Brian said, pointing.

  Kate looked out toward the harbor and saw the island just before the bridge came to an end and the road dipped downward.

  “Have you been here before?” Brian asked.

  She turned toward him. As much as she would like to ignore him for a while, she had a job to do. She would just have to pretend she didn’t mind being here for one more case.

  “I came here as a kid with my family. Dad took us on a Civil War vacation, and we stopped at many of the battle sites. We came to Fort Sumter, but I don’t remember much of Charleston. We weren’t here long.”

  “Sounds like a fun trip.”

  Kate’s eyebrows lifted. “You haven’t been on vacation with my dad.”

  “Nope, so you’ll have to tell me about it,” Brian said with his charming smile.

  She chewed on her lip and stared out at the passing buildings. “My dad isn’t just in the military—the military is who he is. He planned our vacations down to the minute, and we had to keep to that. They were always educational, I’ll give him that.”

  “Sounds like you don’t like your dad very much,” Brian stated as they came to a stop at a red light.

  Kate forced herself to smile. “Let’s not talk about my dad, okay? I’d rather enjoy getting to see Charleston. I feel like it’s my first time here. Besides, we’re brother and sister, remember?”

  Brian looked into her eyes for a moment, as if he could see the smile was a front, but he smiled back and let the subject drop.

  “Have you been here before?” Kate asked.

  Brian cocked his head, his grin appearing. “Nope, first time. We can discover this city together. You like to walk, don’t you? I mean I know you like to run, but this city is perfect for exploring by foot.”

  “I like walking.” She liked running more, but she couldn’t very well play the part of a tourist while jogging all over the place. At least she would be able to stay active. It would be a nice change from the last case that was mainly paperwork.

  “Are they still sore at times?”

  Kate turned to Brian. “What?”

  Brian pointed. Kate looked down to see her hand rubbing her ribs. She quickly sat straight and tucked her hands under her.

  “I’m fine. I was just remembering.”

  Brian nodded. “I remember this one time where I had to go diving into this pond because someone had tossed an important item. I didn’t think to put in earplugs or clean my ears afterward. The pond was not pretty or clean. I got a raging ear infection. By the time I had healed up from it, I had developed a habit of tugging on my earlobe. It took me almost a year to break the habit.”

  “Were you able to retrieve what had been tossed into the pond?” Kate asked, sure this must be related to a past case.

  “I sure did. I impressed a lot of people with that one. I think it was one of the reasons I got the job I have now. But enough about me. Let’s talk about the most important thing: Where are we going to eat?”

  She laughed. “That’s the most important thing?”

  He shook his finger at her as they came to a stop in front of the HarbourView Inn. “Never discount the importance of food. Do you like seafood?”

  “It isn’t my favorite, but I’m not picky. I’m more of a salad girl.”

  “And I like meat and prefer, if I must eat my vegetables, for them to be between two slices of bread and surrounded by meat.”

  Kate laughed as Brian got out of the car, rushed to open her door, and handed her out of the car. He tilted his head toward the hotel.

  “Thomas is staying in a cheap motel, and we get this place. How does that make you feel?”

  She laughed and moved to help with the bags. She picked up her smaller bag and watched as he passed the keys to the valet. The inn blended in with the historic homes and overlooked a park. Even though it was hot, Kate saw many people out walking and enjoying themselves.

  They entered the inn, and Brian walked straight up to the desk and gave his name. Two room keys were quickly handed over.

  “What do you say, Kathrine? Meet me here in fifteen minutes? Dress up, and I’ll take you to a great place I know about.”

  Kate cocked her head, her hair spilling to one side. She was reminded once again that she needed to get it cut. “I thought you didn’t know where we were going to eat.”

  He took hold of his bags and a mischievous grin. “Maybe I wanted to surprise my sister.” He winked and turned toward the stairs.

  Kate smiled and shook her head, rolling her suitcase behind her toward her room. She entered and took a deep breath. It smelled clean and fresh. Closing the door, she crossed to the window. She could see out the side into a gardened area. It was
beautiful. Quickly, knowing she didn’t have much time, she unpacked her suitcase to find something dressy. She had brought mainly jeans and T-shirts for walking around in the Charleston heat. She dug around and found a white lacy skirt that was mid-calf length and a pale-blue top. She had packed them for going to church.

  She quickly changed and added a spritz of body mist and some clip-on earrings that had been a gift from Logan. She looked in the mirror to snap them on and then she took a step back. She hadn’t let her hair get this long in years. It grazed her shoulders and made her look…she wasn’t sure. Softer, maybe? She sighed. She looked more like she had at seventeen before everything had happened.

  She looked at herself again. Part of her liked her hair like this. She had loved having long hair as a teen. In many ways, she missed it. It wasn’t like she had taken a vow to keep it short. It had been cut short when she entered the Army, and she had kept it that way. Maybe keeping it this length wouldn’t be so bad.

  She shook herself. This wasn’t something she needed to worry about right now. She needed to focus on Brian, dinner, and the case. She grabbed her purse, placed the hotel key into her bag, and exited the room. Brian looked handsome in a button-up shirt and dark slacks and a sports jacket. Kate wished Jamie could be here with them.

  “You look nice,” he said. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded. “Where are we going?”

  “To a French restaurant a friend of mine told me about. Rue de Jean,” Brian said. “This should be fun.” He leaned toward her once again. “Especially since my job is footing the bill.”

  Kate laughed. Maybe working with Brian wouldn’t be so hard after all.

  Stay Away

  Thursday, June 11 12:00PM

  “Patrick!”

  Patrick turned toward the feminine voice, hoping to see Sharleen. She hadn’t been in any of her classes that day. He had hoped to build on the sliver of friendliness that had developed. Instead, he found Rachelle waving to him. He waved back, and she moved toward him.